Order of operations · Grade 7
In Grade 7 you learn: powers in the order of operations.
When a calculation has more than one operation, everyone must do them in the same order or we would get different answers. The agreed order is brackets, then powers (indices) and roots, then multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction. Many people remember it as BIDMAS (or BODMAS, or PEMDAS).
Key facts
- Brackets first.
- Then powers and roots: 3 + 4^2 = 3 + 16.
- Then × and ÷, working left to right.
- Then + and −, working left to right.
- × is NOT always before ÷: 24 ÷ 4 × 2 = 6 × 2 = 12.
- A fraction line acts like brackets: work out the top and bottom first.
Worked examples
Example 1
(12 − 4) × 2^2
Answer: 32